SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Set to begin the second half of the conference play, the University of San Francisco (USF) men's basketball team (13-9, 5-4 WCC) will make the short trip south to face Santa Clara (17-5, 8-1 WCC) on Wednesday night at Leavey Center.
 
GAME 23 DETAILS:
Opponent: Santa Clara (17-5, 8-1 WCC)
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Time: 8:00 p.m. PT
Location: Leavey Center/Santa Clara, Calif.
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Dan Dickau)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson, Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Playing its final conference game in Spokane, San Francisco made a valiant effort to grab a victory in The Kennel, but No. 8/8 Gonzaga was able to hold on and secure a narrow 68-66 win over USF on Saturday night. Trailing 67-57 with under two minutes to play, Legend Smiley and Vukasin Masic converted on three consecutive three-pointers to string together a 9-1 run in 40 seconds, bringing the deficit to just 68-66 with one minute left on the game clock. Forcing a Bulldogs turnover on the other end, the green and gold ran the clock down for one final chance to win the game on a Junjie Wang triple, but the shot was long and strong, and the Zags were able to hang on in the final conference matchup between USF and Gonzaga at McCarthey Athletic Center.
• In his fourth consecutive start, Smiley showed up with a team-best 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting from three-point land in 33 minutes, all career-highs for the freshman. Ryan Beasley finished with 14 points, six assists, and four rebounds, shooting 4-of-7 from distance. Providing a spark off the bench, Masic had his best conference game since the WCC opener with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a season-high two steals in 25 minutes.
• Saturday night saw USF's best display from beyond the arc this season, hitting a season-high 14 threes on 50.0 percent shooting (14-28), the second straight game that USF has shot 50 percent from distance and the third time overall this season.
• Despite falling to 5-4 in conference play, San Francisco comes into the contest in a tie with Pacific for fourth place in the league, with three of its four losses coming by single digits.
• Coming one possession shy of their first Quad 1 victory of the season, the Dons will have another opportunity on Wednesday night, with Santa Clara currently sitting at No. 45 in the NCAA's Net Rankings.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:

• Santa Clara (SCU) currently sits in a tie for second place in the WCC standings, on pace for its best win percentage in 31 years, when the Broncos went 21-7 (.750) overall and 12-2 (.857) in conference play in 1995-96. SCU will put a four-game win streak on the line against San Francisco on Wednesday night, last picking up an 85-73 victory at San Diego on Saturday night.
• En route to an 8-1 start to WCC action, Santa Clara notably handed Saint Mary's its first loss of conference play two games ago on Jan. 17, defeating the Gaels 62-54 to snap an eight-game losing streak against SMC.
• Redshirt sophomore guard Christian Hammond had led the offense for the Broncos this season, averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game, fifth-most in the WCC, on 51.6/41.0/80.3 shooting splits. Right behind Hammond on the stat sheet is senior forward Elijah Mahi, the only Bronco to play and start in all 22 games this season, who is averaging 14.3 points per contest, good for 10th-best in the conference.
• As a unit, Santa Clara has been one of the WCC's best offenses in conference play, leading the league in scoring as the Broncos average 87.3 points per game. SCU has posted three of the four highest single-game scoring totals within WCC play this season, including two 100-point performances. The Broncos also lead the conference in three-pointers per game (10.0), steals per game (10.0), and turnovers forced per game (15.7).
• In his tenth season as head coach of the Broncos, Herb Sendek looks to lead Santa Clara to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years, as the Broncos currently rank in the top 45 in the NET (45), KenPom (43), and Bart Torvik (34) rankings.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Wednesday's meeting will mark the 238th meeting all-time between San Francisco and Santa Clara, with USF holding a narrow 120-117 advantage in the head-to-head series. The Dons and Broncos have split the season series in each of the last two seasons, with the home team emerging victorious in each of the last four matchups.
• USF seeks its first victory at Leavey Center under head coach Chris Gerlufsen, having last won at SCU on Feb. 12, 2022, 74-58, which saw former Don and current Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea score 12 points and former Bronco and current Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams score 16 points.

FOLLOW US:
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MERCHANDISE:
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SPONSOR US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - San Francisco Toyota - for their continued support of University of San Francisco Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.